“Brainware", thinks like a human

Organoides cerebrales en el laboratorio de la Escuela de Salud Pública Bloomberg del Johns Hopkins — Brain organoids in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health laboratory

Imagen del organoide que simula la estructura y el funcionamiento del cerebro humano, cultivado artificialmente a partir de células madre

MADRID (EFE).— A group of scientists created an organoid called “Brainware” that simulates the structure and functioning of the human brain and, through artificial intelligence (AI), is capable of recognizing human speech.

Organoids are three-dimensional versions of human organs, which are manufactured in the laboratory through cell culture.

The advance, published yesterday in the journal “Nature Electronics”, consists of a hybrid computing system made up of electronic “hardware” and a brain organoid capable of performing tasks such as recognizing human speech.

Scientists developed it in the race to offer efficient solutions through artificial intelligence (machine learning and artificial neural network models) to the increasingly in-demand computing power.

The researchers created the three-dimensional brain organoid by artificially growing human stem cells to develop brain-like tissues capable of reproducing certain aspects of its structure and function.

The organoid features different brain cell identities, including early-stage and mature neurons, and the early development of brain-like structures (such as ventricular zones) for the formation, function, and maintenance of neuronal networks. This artificial “brain” receives inputs through electrical stimulation and sends outputs through neuronal activity.

The organoid incorporates a type of artificial neural network known as “reservoir computing,” capable of capturing and remembering information.

The authors demonstrated the ability of their discovery for speech recognition.

In this case, the computer system had to recognize one individual’s Japanese vowel sounds among the voices of eight other people (240 audio clips were used).

High accuracy

The system improved with training and reached an accuracy of 78%, the study indicates.

“It may be decades until we can create complete bioinformatics systems, but this research is likely to generate foundational knowledge about the mechanisms of learning, neural development and the cognitive implications of neurodegenerative diseases,” said Lena Smirnova, a researcher at the University of Johns Hopkins and who was in charge of reviewing the work.

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Mark a milestone

The “Brainware” organoid marks a milestone with the convergence of biology and artificial intelligence.

Medical uses

Likewise, it constitutes a turning point in the understanding of human cognition and the potential solutions of artificial intelligence to treat degenerative brain diseases.

The future

The discovery projects a promising future at the interface between biological science and cutting-edge technology.